Fueled by dramatic meltdowns and catfights, the 4-year-old celebrity version of “Apprentice” has helped launch or revive the show biz careers of a flock of Trump contestants — perhaps none more than its first winner, Piers Morgan.

“It really launched him in the US beyond just being ‘that British guy on ‘America’s Got Talent,’ ” says Season 2 contestant Melissa Rivers.

Two hours of prime-time exposure every week “gets you back in the public consciousness,” Rivers says. “Especially somebody like Marlee.

“There is buzz around you in producers’ minds. People start talking about what a great actress she is, and, suddenly, they are considering her for a new role.

“I think for Lil Jon, Marlee and John Rich, the show has been a great thing,” says Rivers. “As hard as [the show] can be, the long-term effects for them are going to be huge.”

Matlin will square off against country star Rich in Sunday night’s live two-hour finale.

“It was a good thing I was deaf,” she said after working for a month and a half with drama queens Star Jones, NeNe Leakes and Dionne Warwick.

“The tones, the voices, the fighting . . . Sometimes I would just look away. I wouldn’t even look at Jack [Jason, her longtime business partner and interpreter]. It just got to be too much sometimes.”